Force-feed brush with short bristles



Ap 7, 1953 R. s. EISNER ETAL FORCE-FEED BRUSH WITH SHORT BRISTLES Filed May 11, 1950 Inn /H I y I I I l ailltllltvtllllinllltlllril INVENTO R ROBERT S. EISNER 8' MORRIS R.GALLE ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 7, 1953 FORCE-FEED BRUSH WITH SHORT BRISTLES Robert S. Eisner, Red Bank, and Morris R. Galle,

Little Silver, N. J. said Galle assignor to said Eisner Application May 11, 1950, Serial No. 161,462

This invention relates to brushes of the type used for applying paint and other coating materials to surfaces, such as walls and ceilings. More particularly, the invention is concerned with a novel brush, which although containing relatively short bristles, can be used as easily as brushes with much longer bristles in applying smooth, continuous coats of paint, etc. Since the bristles in a brush represent a large part of the cost of manufacture of the brush and the bristle cost increases rapidly with their length. it will be evident that the cost of the new brush is much less than that of prior brushes of comparable performance.

A smooth uniformly thick coat of paint or similar materials may best beapplied manually by means of brush having bristles of a substantial length, such as 4" to 6". In such a brush, the bristles are secured at one end to a' handle block with a blank space in the middle of the bristles and the free ends of the bristles meet in front of the block, thus leaving a space for holding paint inwardly from the ends of the bristles and surrounded thereby. In the use of such a brush of the dip type the bristles are dipped into the paint, so that a quantity of the paint enters the space within the bristles, after which the bristle end of the brush is applied to the surface to be coated and the brush is moved back and forth. In this operation, the bristles are flexed so that the sides of the bristles contact the surface and the larger the length of the bristles lying against the surface, the smoother isthe coat applied. It is, thus, desirable to use a brush having bristles of such length that they may be easily flexed,

but a brush of sufliciently long bristles for easy flexure is very expensive.

The present invention is, accordingly, directed to the provision of a brush, which can be produced at low cost because of having relatively:

short bristles, but is so constructed that, in use, the sides of the bristles may be caused to contact the surface to be coated over substantial lengths of the bristles. The desired results are obtained by constructing the brush with a head having a handle attached thereto, and a block spaced from the head and having a group of bristles secured to the block to encircle the block laterally. The head and block are secured together by flexible means, including a sleeve of a material, such as sheet synthetic rubber, the sleeve encircling the head and block laterally and being secured to the head. Although the bristles in the new brush are of relatively short length and consequently somewhat Stiff, the

4 Claims. (01. 15128 means connecting the head and block can be readily flexedin the use of the brush to cause the sides of the bristles to engage the work surface and thus produce a smooth coat of material thereon.

The new brush may be of the dip or fountain types and a form of fountain brush embodying the invention will be illustrated and described in detail for purposes of illustration.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be made to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a view, partly in vertical section and partly in elevation, of a fountain brush of the invention; and r I Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1.

The brush illustrated comprises a head block l0 having a recess H formed in its upper side to receive the bifurcated end portions I 2 and I3 of a removable handle I4. A nipple l5 for coupling the handle to the head block is mounted in an opening through the head block and the nipple has a threaded lower end I6 projecting beyond the lower face of the head block and an upper threaded end I! projecting into recess ll.

A'passage l8 extending longitudinally through handle M has a lower enlarged portion l9, into which is threaded a coupling member 20 provided with a flange2l spaced from the adjacent part of the handle to support a coupling nut 22 which is internally threaded. The handle is secured to the-head block by placing its bifurcated portions in recess I I and then screwing coupling nut 22 down'upon the upper portion ll of nipple IS.

The lower face of couplingmember 2| and the upper face of portion I! of the nipple are machined to engage with one another to make a fluid tight seal, or, in the alternative, a gasket (not shown) may be employed to prevent the leakage of fluid between the parts. The outer face of coupling nut 22 is knurled for easy turning, when the handle is to be detached from the head block or secured thereto. Flow of fluid through the handle to the brush is controlled by a valve mounted in the handle and provided with an actuating member 23.

A feed block 25 having an inlet 26 in its upper face is attached to head block Hi to lie at a distance therefrom. For this purpose, threaded metal ferrule 21 is threaded part-way into the uper end of inlet 26 and a flexible tube 28, preferably of synthetic rubber, has one end fitted over the lower threaded end of ferrule l5 and secured to it by a nut 29, and its other end fitted over the exposed end of threaded ferrule 21 and secured to it by a nut 30.

A group of bristles 3| is secured to the feed block 25 by having the upper ends of bristles embedded in a body 32 of material, such as a hard-setting rubber compound, whichissecured t the feed block to encircle it. A'plurality of discharge passages 33 extend divergently from the inlet 26 through the feed block to open at the lower face thereof, so that paint or other fluid supplied to the feed blockithroughi-handle I4 and conduit 28 will be evenly distributed among the bristles.

A casing or sleeve 35 oijflexiblemateriakand preferably of synthetic rubber, is secured to the head block by tacks 34 and, laterally, completely encircles the head block, theieed rblock 5.9.i1d the space between the two blocks. Sleeve ,35 supplies to the feed block a lateral positioning effect substantially similar to that provided by the mainlbod y of long bristles in conventional fountain brushes suchas that disclosed in our Patent No. 2,454553, issued November 23, 1948. Sleeve 35 and tube 28 can also be readily flexed in the use of the brush to cause the sides of the bristles 3| to engage :the work surface and thus produce asmooth coat of paint or other material thereon.

We claim:

1. A brush which comprisesa head having a passage therethrough, a handle attached to the head at one side thereof and having a-passage through it which is aligned with the passage through the head, a blockspacedfrom the op- ,positesideof the head and having a passage through it, a'group of bristles attached to the sides of the block to encircle the latter, a flexible tube connecting the passage in the head to the passage in the block, and a sleeve of flexible sheet material overlying'the" head and the block and enclosing the space between *them,'through which the tube extends, the sleeve being-attached to the head :andloosely engaging'theblock.

2. A brush which comprises a head having-an opening therethrough, a nipple mounted in the opening and having its opposite ends extending the head to said inlet in said block, a group or 4 bristles attached to the sides of the block to encircle the latter, and a sleeve of flexible material laterally encircling the head and the block and attached to the sides of the head.

3. A brush which comprises a head having an opening therethrough, a nipple mounted in the opening and having its opposite ends extendin outwardly from opposite sides of the head, a handle attached to the head at one side thereof by being secured to the end of the nipple ex- "tendingfromthat side, said handle having a pasv.sage through it which is in alignment with the nipple, a block spaced from the opposite side of the head and having an inlet opening therein, a fiexible'tube connecting the other end of the nipple extending from said opposite sides of the head .to saidinlet. in said block, a group of bristles attached to the sides of the block to encircle the latteryand a sleeve offiexible material lateral- 1y encircling the head and the block and attached to the sides of the head, said block having a plurality of discharge passages extending divergently from the inlet opening and opening at the'face of the block opposite ffrom that which contains the'inlet: opening.

' 4. A brush which comprises a head having an opening therethrough, *arnipplemounted in the opening andhavingitsppposite ends extending outwardly from :opposite sides of the head, a handle attached 'to the headat oneside thereofby being secured'to' the endof the nipple-extending from that :side, said handle having a passage throughu'rt-"which'is in alignment with the nipple, a block spaced from: the opposite side of the head :and havinganinlet opening therein, -a threaded metaliferrulethreaded partway into the inlet iopening,;aifiexible tube secured at one end'to the-other endof the nipple extending from. said opposite side pf 'thehead and at its other end to the :metal ferrule, a group of bristles attached to the'sides of the block to encircle the latter, :and a: sleeve of "flexible material laterally'encircling the head and the block and attached to the sides .of the head.

' RYDBERT S. EISNER.

MORRIS R. GALLE.

REFERENGES errsn The'following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

=Eisner' e Sept. 27, 1949 

